Angry Left Hate Speech Quote Of The Day Starring Alcee Hastings
It doesn’t seem possible, but the the Angry Left gets more hysterical and despicable each day. Not even Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt is this prolific at topping themselves. We can’t keep up. (See last Friday’s post about the vile from so-called comedienne Sandra Bernhard.) So, today, we start trying to keep pace by beginning an Angry Left Hate Speech Quote Of The Day, not to be confused with our ever popular Capitol Square Diary QOD. Not that we’re even going to make this an official category, but with the Mount Everest high amount of material available by the hour, we hold out that option.
So, without further ado, our inaugural ALHSQOD quote comes from disgraced impeached and convicted (for perjury and corruption) former federal judge, now-U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.). (See Fox News article here). Yesterday, in Florida, at a panel discussion hosted by the National Jewish Democrat Council, he said:
If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention. Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through.
As reported by the blog hotair.com, the room erupted in laughter and applause. Classy. However, according to the Fox News report, a fellow member of the Congressional Black Caucus, U.S. Representative Arthur Davis (D-Ala.), rebuked Hastings in a written statement:
I didn’t like his comments when I heard them and they don’t sound any better reading them in print. …
(I)t is a great mistake for Democrats to ridicule (Palin’s) cultural roots. I don’t know how many Americans strip moose, but a lot of the ones I know tote guns and the Democratic Party had better win enough of those gun toters if we are to be successful.
Finally, some commonsense. They can start by reigning in the hate speech by an increasing number of party officials and left wing fringe groups which claim to do their bidding.
Still, it’s Senator Obama in San Francisco vs Senator Obama in Scranton all over again.
How does a criminal like Rep Alcee Hastings still get into public office?
In 1981, Hastings was charged with accepting a $150,000 bribe in exchange for a lenient sentence and a return of seized assets for 21 counts of racketeering by Frank and Thomas Romano, and of perjury in his testimony about the case. He was acquitted by a jury after his alleged co-conspirator, William Borders, refused to testify in court (resulting in a jail sentence for Borders).
In 1988, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives took up the case, and Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury by a vote of 413-3. Voters to impeach included Democratic Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, John Conyers and Charles Rangel. He was then convicted in 1989 by the United States Senate, becoming the sixth federal judge in the history of the United States to be removed from office by the Senate. The vote on the first article was 69 for and 26 opposed, providing five votes more than the two-thirds of those present that were needed to convict. The first article accused the judge of conspiracy. Conviction on any single article was enough to remove the judge from office. The Senate vote cut across party lines, with Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont voting to convict his fellow party member, and Arlen Specter voting to acquit.[1]
The Senate had the option to forbid Hastings from ever seeking federal office again, but did not do so. Alleged co-conspirator, attorney William Borders went to jail again for refusing to testify in the impeachment proceedings, but was later given a full pardon by Bill Clinton on his last day in office.[2]
We must interpret a bad temper as a sign of inferiority.